The short playlist reflects less new music being played in
the adult contemporary radio foramt. Yet it was one of the most widely
listened of all formats, indicating that people's tastes for new music
were not as strong as in previous decades. The tightening of radio
playlists was a national trend due to corporate consolidation and
the arrival of many other competing media channels throughout the
decade. Falling music sales also indicated this was not the era
of adults getting excited over AC music, although adults in the
40-50 age group remained strong buyers of music, except not necessarily
new music.